


Yuru Yuri: Feelings Unrivaled

by Jokarin



Category: YuruYuri
Genre: Arguing, F/F, Feelings Realization, Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-24
Updated: 2016-12-24
Packaged: 2018-09-11 14:08:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8983999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jokarin/pseuds/Jokarin
Summary: The final part of the Feelings series and probably ended up being my favorite to write of the three back then. Sakurako and Himawari are an interesting duo to work with.





	1. Chapter 1

_Knock-knock-knock-knock!_

The young and innocent Furutani Kaede poked her head out from the doorway leading into the kitchen where her big sister, Himawari, was just about to prepare some lunch. The day had been pretty peaceful for the siblings so far and neither of them were expecting anyone to visit.

"Onee-chan, someone's at the door! Should I see who it is?"

Himawari sighed, stopped chopping up some tomatoes for the sandwiches she was crafting and walked over to her little sister. She patted her head with a weary but sweet smile. "Don't worry about it, Kaede. I'll answer it...I have a pretty good idea who it might be anyway..."

As Himawari slowly made her way to the front door she could hear the knocking on the door turn to banging...and from banging to outright slamming. One of the veins in her forehead began to pulse angrily as she began to unlock the door. "In what person's right mind...would YOU think...that trying to break down someone's front door to get their attention..." Himawari threw the door open with almost enough force to break it off its hinges. "...WAS A PERFECTLY ACCEPTABLE IDEA?!"

On the other side was none other than Himawari's closest friend and neighbor, Sakurako. The blonde was standing in a pose that made it look like she was about to deliver a strong tackle. Beads of sweat trickled down Himawari's face. She didn't really expect her idiot of a friend to actually consider ramming the door down. Meanwhile Sakurako was wondering why her friend looked so angry. Her face was cluelessly blank as she cocked her head to the side. "Himawari!...You okay?"

"You're seriously asking me that?!"

Sakurako responded with a simple head-tilt to the other direction, coaxing a long sigh from Himawari. After a bit, the blue haired girl finally spoke back up. "So what do you want then..."

Sakurako perked up at the question, but then instantly became annoyed. "Oh right! YOU SAID YOU'D HELP ME WITH MY HOMEWORK TODAY! I've been waiting at my place for you to come over but you never did!"

"I was PLANNING to go over a little later after making lunch for Kaede and finishing the last of my chores. Unlike you, I actually have responsibilities." Himawari crossed her arms, causing her breasts to lift up slightly. It was a small motion, but one that someone like Sakurako would immediately notice. Since the two grew up together, she'd been watching Himawari's breasts grow steadily to the point of them becoming a bit bigger than most other girls their age and even some older. It also didn't help that while Himawari grew, Sakurako's chest stayed as flat as a washboard. This was probably the biggest gripe she had with her best friend.

"Yeah, you obviously have to be responsible for keeping your milk sacks in check..." Sakurako growled. Himawari huffed in return, deciding to let the insult slide for the moment.

"I'll go over as soon as I'm done making lunch for Kaede, alright? So if you don't mind putting your patience to the test..." Himawari looked off to the side for a second. " I-I'll make some extra for you too, alright?"

"REALLY?!" Sakurako lit up like a Christmas tree. Himawari's food was never something to take lightly and the fact that she was going to be given some of it without any questions made it even better. She quickly contained her excitement by putting on a confident smirk. "W-Well...Then I guess the kind and forgiving Sakurako-sama can spare a bit more of her time."

Himawari nodded. "Good. Then go back to your house and I'll be there in about an hour." Without even waiting for a response, Himawari immediately shut the door in Sakurako's face. The blonde blinked for a second before turning on her heel and heading back home, completely unfazed and with a large grin on her face. "Free food is awesome, but free Himawari's food is even better!" Sakurako skipped away excitedly, hoping dearly that the next sixty minutes would pass by twice as quickly as normal.

On the other side of the door Himawari let out a flustered sigh before going back to the kitchen, taking a few extra ingredients from the refrigerator to up the number of sandwiches she could make. Kaede watched from the doorway. "Who was it, Onee-chan?"

"Eh? O-Oh, it was just Sakurako. I promised her I'd help her with her homework, but I needed to finish all my chores first." Himawari smiled slightly. Taking care of her own duties and her little sister was one thing, but constantly having to babysit Sakurako when it came to school just made things more tiring...Not that she minded, anyway.

"Sakurako-oneechan has a lot of trouble studying on her own, doesn't she?" Kaede tilted her head quizzically, causing Himawari to chuckle as she reached over to pat her head. "Most of the time. That's why I try to help her out."

Kaede smiled brightly. "You're both really good friends!"

Himawari was caught off-guard for a moment before answering. "I...suppose we are, yes."

After finishing up in the kitchen and leaving her sister to enjoy her lunch, Himawari decided to retreat to her bedroom and relax for a bit. Kaede's words were still floating around in her head as she let out a slightly sad sigh. She sat up from her bed and looked over to her desk, getting up and slowly making her way over. She crouched down and opened up the bottom drawer, taking out a ragged and old-looking piece of paper. It was an old marriage form, slightly pink in color and covered in slight creases and tears. It wasn't totally filled out, but what was filled was done so in crayon. There was no name under the section for the groom, instead both Himawari's and Sakurako's names taking up the Wife's space. The blue-haired girl stared at the form longingly, a slight hint of concern visible in her expression.

"I wonder...Just when did things between us change..."

* * *

"Oh, Himako. Sakurako's been expecting you."

Sakurako's older sister, Nadeshiko, stepped to the side to let Himawari enter their house. The Furutanis and Oomuros had been neighbors for a while now, with Himawari's family living in the apartment building just across the street from Sakurako's house since the two were little. Nadeshiko considered Himawari and Kaede her other younger sisters at this point.

"Sorry for any inconvenience I may be causing." Himawari smiled and bowed as she slipped off her shoes. Nadeshiko responded with a lazy wave of her hand. "S'not a problem. You know you're always welcomed here. Sakurako's in her room doing her homework."

"Eheh...I'll believe it when I see it..." The blue-haired girl made her way over to Sakurako's door, slowly peeking inside. The girl was seated at her table, staring hard at her notebook. Himawari was amazed; Sakurako actually was trying to do her homework. It took a moment before she actually entered the room. "Well...It seems someone's working hard."

Sakurako looked up as her eyes instantly lit up like fireworks. "HIMAWARI! DIDJA BRING THE FOOD YOU PROMISED ME?"

"Yes." Himawari pulled out a small package from her bag. "Two sandwiches, like I said I'd make."

"YAY! Gimme gimme!" Before her friend could take hold of the sandwiches, Himawari quickly pulled them away and out of her reach. "No. Not until you finish your work. If you do, then you get your food."

Sakurako pouted. "Ugh, fine...This'll be no problem!" She quickly picked up her pencil and went back to concentrating on her notes while Himawari took out a book to read in the meantime. Every few pages she would glance up to make sure everything was going smoothly. Most of the time she'd usually find Sakurako goofing off or sleeping, but for some reason this time was different. Her friend hadn't lifted her head up from her work, tapping the end of her pencil on her chin in thought. It looked like she really was putting thought into it. What only seemed like a few minutes or so passed before Sakurako's voice broke the silence.

"BREAK TIME!"

"Eh?" Himawari set her book down. "We never agreed to any breaks!"

"But I'm already half dooone..." Sakurako flopped onto the table, puffing out her cheeks. "Can't I eat now?"  
Himawari sighed and took the sandwiches out of her bag and started to hand it over. Right before her friend could snatch it away, she quickly pulled back. She gave Sakurako a stern glare. "Only one sandwich. ONE. When you finish the rest of your work, then you can have the other. Got it?"

"Fiiiine..." Sakurako groaned before perking back up with joy as Himawari handed over one of the sandwiches. As the blonde happily ate, Himawari took the chance to slide her notebook over. "Just so we're clear, I'm gonna look over your work just to make sure you aren't trying to pull a fast one..."

Sakurako took a big bite out of her food. "Mmph! Do whatever you want, I ain't lying or anything this time! Honest!"

"We'll see about that." As Himawari flipped through the notebook, her expression of doubt changed to one of disbelief. Every question and every problem was completely answered. No shortcuts, no half-answers, nothing shady. It was proper work. Himawari was more surprised than impressed as she looked back up to Sakurako.

"You...You answered these all by yourself? You didn't have any help from Nadeshiko-oneesan?"

"Nope!"

"...From Hanako-chan?"

Sakurako growled. "HANAKO'S IN GRADE SCHOOL! Is it that hard for you to accept that I did it all by myself?!"

"I-It's not that, I'm just...highly impressed. Usually you try to speed through everything just to get it over with, but looking at this I can't really find anything wrong..."

"HA! See? When I put my mind to it, I can do anything! Including boring homework!" After finishing her first sandwich, she reached back out to Himawari. "Now gimme my book back so I can finish and get my other sandwich!"

Himawari was still pretty skeptical. "...Y-You're sure you're not just working hard because I brought food?"

"Ugh, the food's PART of it but I'm mainly just doin' it like I'm supposed to! Now can I just finish it please?"

After a moment, Himawari slowly handed the notebook back over. Sakurako snatched it out from her hand and went back to work, leaving Himawari even more surprised. "She really is putting in effort...It's like she doesn't need me to breathe down her neck..."

After an hour or so, Sakurako slammed her book shut and threw her hands victoriously into the air. "DONE!"

"I'll be the judge of that." Himawari took the book one more time to review the answers. As she got to the last page, she looked up and gave a polite smile. "Well, I can't believe I'm saying this but it looks like you did everything correctly. You should be proud."

"Haha! So that means...?"

"Yes, yes. The rest of the food is yours." She handed Sakurako the rest the other sandwich. The blonde cheered as she quickly snatched it away and went to town. Himawari sighed as she watched on. "I never thought I'd see the day where you'd do all your work without my help. It's like I never even needed to come over."

Sakurako grinned. "Heh, it's like you didn't even need to come by! At this rate I won't even need ya around anymore, huh?"

Himawari fell silent. The thought had never crossed her mind until just now. If Sakurako could start to do her homework by herself, then Himawari didn't really need a reason to come over all the time anymore. All the time she usually spent with her best friend would most likely just disappear. Himawari figured this was a good thing, since it meant Sakurako would become more independant...So why did she suddenly feel so depressed?

"Himawari? Oi, you okay?" Sakurako waved her hand in front of Himawari's face, snapping her out of her current train of thought. "What's the matter? You look like ya just saw a ghost or something."

"Eh? Uh, nothing...I-I'm just gonna head back home now. Glad you liked the food." Himawari stood up and took hold of her bag, giving Sakurako one more small smile before quickly making her exit. Sakurako was left still feeling confused.

"Himawari...?"


	2. Chapter 2

Himawari stared at the underside of the bunk bed over her, deep in thought. She couldn't sleep well at all, now stuck lying awake much earlier than usual. The faint rays of the early morning sun crept into the room as the events of the day prior kept repeating in her head. Sakurako's words looped over and over.

" _At this rate I won't even need ya around anymore, huh?_ "

She didn't know why, but every time she replayed it she would feel a slight tinge in her heart. She sighed to herself quietly. " _Why am I bothered by something so simple? If she doesn't need my help then that means she's progressing, right? That should be a good thing..._ " Himawari lightly clutched her chest. " _...So why does it upset me...?_ "

Soft pats could be heard as Himawari set her feet onto the floor, tiptoeing as quietly as she could over to her desk. She didn't want to risk waking Kaede up too early. She once again took out the worn marriage form from the bottom drawer. It had been almost a week since she found it while doing some cleaning and she still couldn't exactly remember when or why she and Sakurako ever filled it out. The relationship they had when they were younger was just a blur to the both of them. Still though, every time she looked at it...it was as if something inside her was trying to yell something out to her, like she was trying to remind herself of something. Try as she might, however, nothing ever came out of it.

"Just what is going on with me lately..."

"Mmn...Onee-chan...?"

Himawari jumped slightly as she looked up to find Kaede sleepily leaning over the edge of her bunk to see what was going on. It seemed her attempts at keeping quiet enough to let her little sister sleep proved unsuccessful. She walked over and gently pet Kaede on the head, speaking in a quiet voice. "Sorry. Did I wake you up?"

Kaede slowly shook her head and tried to rub the sleep out of her eyes. "Onee-chan...Are you okay...?"

Himawari nodded and smiled. "I'm fine. Just restless, that's all...Here, it's still early. Why don't you sleep a little longer. When you wake back up I'll have a yummy breakfast all ready for you. Does that sound good?"

Kaede nodded back before crawling to her pillow and dozing off once more. Himawari silently exited the room and headed to the kitchen, still dealing with what was on her mind. She stared into the pan she was using as the eggs inside it popped and sizzled over the hot blue flames. After a minute or two she gave herself a quick set of slaps to the cheeks and took a deep breath.

"I'm over-thinking things, obviously. Sakurako'll be back to her usual hopeless self once we're in class. I'm just worrying myself over nothing."  
In reality Himawari didn't completely believe her own words, but they were enough to at least relieve a bit of the uneasiness in her mind and heart.

* * *

"Himawari?...Himawari!"

Himawari suddenly felt herself being shaken back and forth by her shoulder. When she looked over, she saw Sakurako trying to get her attention while their fellow classmates and good friends Akari and Chinatsu moved their desks closer together. It seemed that she had spaced out again.

"What are ya waiting for? Hurry up and move your desk so we can eat! I'm starvin'!"

Right, it was lunch period. She she must have just lost focus during the last class and started day dreaming or something. Though Himawari was a bit confused. She wasn't exactly one to let her thoughts drift away during school. Deciding to shrug it off, she proceeded to set up her table with her friends as the four sat down to enjoy another afternoon conversing together.

"Akari-chan, your lunch looks super-tasty!" Sakurako drooled as she stared at Akari's lunch. The double-bunned girl had brought some fried chicken, octopus sausage and greens along with a side of white rice. Her bento looked and smelled delicious. Akari giggled at the compliment and gave a proud smile. "Ah, thanks! Akari got up a bit earlier than usual so she could cook everything properly."

"You made it yourself?!...Can I try some?" Sakurako flashed Akari a pair of her most innocent-looking puppy dog eyes. A cautious bead of sweat ran down Akari's forehead, but in the end she happily gave her friend a piece of her fried chicken. Sakurako popped the piece in her mouth and almost immediately her face brightened up in enjoyment as she quickly gulped it down.

"Mmmm! Akari-chan, you gotta teach me how to cook like you! Can ya teach me?"

That line almost made Himawari choke on her rice. Sakurako was always confident in her cooking abilities...and by that she meant she never bothered really learning how to cook, instead assuming making a meal from scratch was as easy as making instant ramen. This was possibly the first time Sakurako had ever asked someone for lessons. Himawari had always assumed that when that time came, she'd be the first person to be asked. Instead she had to sit there and watch her best friend ask Akari for pointers. It was enough to make her fume.

"E-Eh?...Well...I guess Akari can teach you, sure! If you'd like, we can start today after school."

"AWESOME! I'm totally gonna learn how to cook like Akari-chan!" As Akari watched her friend pump her fists in excitement, she heard a small but noticeable "Hmph!" from beside her. She looked over to see Chinatsu pouting with a slight hint of a blush on her cheeks while trying to keep her attention trained on the other side of the classroom. Akari chuckled awkwardly, knowing exactly why she was suddenly acting so annoyed. She leaned in close to Chinatsu and spoke in a soft whisper that only she'd hear.

"Don't worry. Akari will make sure to make extra especially for you, okay?" She punctuated it with a sweet smile, which only caused Chinatsu to blush even more. She quickly hid her face before giving a quick nod followed by a "S-Sure, whatever."

While her friends were doing their own thing, Himawari quietly rose from her seat. Sakurako noticed almost immediately. "Where ya goin'?"

"Huh? O-Oh uh...to the bathroom. I'll be right back." Himawari did her best to keep things short as she rushed out of class. Sakurako watched her go as her brow furrowed. Something about her friend had seemed off to her all day and her running off suddenly wasn't really helping. She tried to think of just what she may have been up to.

" _Something ain't right...Hmph. Maybe she finally realized how fat her chest is or something..._ "

A splash of water washed over Himawari's face as she took a deep breath. She was glad that no one else was using the restroom. It gave her time to collect herself and set her mind straight. She sighed to herself.

"Is my cooking not good enough for her to ask me how to make it herself...?" Himawari stared at herself in the mirror with a somewhat depressed expression before giving her cheeks a another quick slap. "Ugh, just what has gotten into me? Am I seriously feeling jealous of Akaza-san right now?...This isn't me at all..."

She leaned herself onto the sink. None of these feelings would be messing with her if it wasn't for that stupid marriage form she had found. If only she could remember just what things were like when she and Sakurako were little then maybe she'd know why she would suddenly feel so anxious around Sakurako when she should be feeling proud instead. She gave herself a stern look in the eye.

"Maybe Nadeshiko-Oneesan will be able to help me. Sakurako'll be at Akaza-san's house anyway. I'll go over after school and ask her about it while she's out...Yes...Yes, that's a perfect idea."

Just then a loud yet familiar voice coupled with a few bangs on the door blasted its way into Himawari's eardrums. "HIMAWARIIII! DID YOUR LUNCH NOT SIT RIGHT WITH YOU OR WHAT? CLASS IS ABOUT TO START!"

The blue-haired girl immediately exited the bathroom and tightly clutched around Sakurako's mouth so that all she could here where her surprised and annoyed muffles. A large vein throbbed in her forehead as her face flushed red. Still, she spoke in a calm and composed way...It almost made her scarier as a result. "I would very much appreciate it if next time you'd refrain from screaming such information in a public hallway where everyone can clearly hear you, Oomuro-san. I don't think you'd appreciate what might happen to you if you do it again...Do I make myself clear?"

Sakurako's face was blue from both the lack of air and the tremendous amount of fear she was feeling. Getting on Himawari's bad side was one of the worst possible outcomes when it came to her goofing around. Even though she was a mostly polite and well-mannered girl, Himawari could still be quite vicious if pushed hard enough. Unfortunately for Sakurako, she was usually the one doing the pushing too.

"OKAY OKAY I'M SORRY TOTALLY SORRY ABSOLUTELY SORRY HIMAWARI-SAMAAA!" is what Sakurako tried to say, instead all that came out was a series of muffled yelps. Though Himawari couldn't make it out clearly she could still understand what her friend was saying, letting her go after a moment with an annoyed huff. Sakurako massaged her sore cheeks.

"J-Jeez, I thought you were going to tear my face off!"

"Sorry, just...don't go yelling stuff like that where other people can hear. It's embarrassing, even if it was just a joke..."  
Sakurako noted the blush on Himawari's face and decided to act serious for once. Her expression grew a lot softer and gentler. "Yeah, alright...Then I'm sorry for messin' with ya. But seriously we gotta get back to class before the next period starts or else Sensei's gonna chew us out!"

"O-Oh right, of course! I'll be right behind you, then." As she watched her friend run off, Himawari couldn't help but notice her heart beating a little faster than usual. Sakurako was always the hyper and brash type, but seeing her look so calm and gentle triggered something inside her. It was the first time she'd ever seen Sakurako look like that as far as she knew. Himawari placed a hand on her chest, feeling the quick pitter-patter from within.

" _I feel even more anxious than before! I need to figure out what's going on with me or else I'll probably get so bad that just standing around Sakurako will make me feel weak!_ "

She took a few deep breathes to calm herself before going back to class. Still, she couldn't shake the worry that had started to manifest itself in her head. She was confused and even a bit scared, but she knew the only way to deal with it was to tackle the problem at its source.

"I'll get to the bottom of this once and for all. I just hope Nadeshiko-Oneesan has some of the answers I'm looking for..."


	3. Chapter 3

So far Nadeshiko had been spending her time home from school lazily lounging on the living room couch reading magazines. Her expression remained unchanged as she flipped through the pages, reaching over to the table next to her every now and then to take a sip from her juice box. As she relaxed, her younger sister Hanako entered the room.

"Huh? Sakurako-oneechan isn't home from school yet? It's her turn to cook tonight..."

"Oh right." Nadeshiko looked up from her magazine. "She texted me earlier saying she was going to a friend's house for 'Special Training'...Whatever that means."

Hanako huffed. "Ugh, that's just like her! She always tries to get out of cooking duty or takes the easy way out!"

"Well there's nothing we can really do about it now except make dinner ourselves." The elder sister set her magazine down and stretched out.

"We've got the ingredients for curry, so we can do that."

"Well...Alright. I guess we don't really have a choice." As Hanako let out a defeated sigh, the sound of knocks on the front door grabbed her attention. "Ah, I'll get it."

Hanako quickly answered the door, greeted by the sight of Himawari and Kaede. The younger of the Furutani sisters quickly ran inside and gave Hanako a big hug, catching her off-guard as the two tumbled to the floor. "Hanako-chan! We came to play!"

Himawari chuckled as she stepped inside. "Eheh...Sorry Hanako-chan. I figured I'd bring Kaede with me since I was planning to visit for a bit. I hope it's not too sudden."

"Ngh! K-Kaede, you're kinda heavy!" Hanako sat up with a smile, holding onto her friend as she looked up to her older neighbor. "No, not at all. Though if you're looking for Sakurako-oneechan then you're sort of out of luck. She's at a friend's house..."

"Oh, uh...I know. I was actually planning to speak with Nadeshiko-oneesan...I-Is she around?"

As if on cue, Nadeshiko popped her head out from around the entrance way corner. "Oh Himako, it's you. What's up?"

Himawari stood up straight and took a deep breath. "Onee-san, I...I need your help with something. Would you be kind enough to listen to what I have to say?"

Nadeshiko took note of the serious expression on Himawari's face. After a moment she looked over to Hanako and Kaede. "Hanako, how about you and Kaede go play? Himako and I can make the curry instead, if you two don't mind staying over for dinner that is."

"H-Huh?" Himawari perked back up. "Uh, no! No, not at all! We'd be glad to stay for dinner."

"Good." With that, the eldest Oomuro slung her arm around Himawari and ushered her off to the kitchen while their little sisters went off to Hanako's room. Once they were alone, Nadeshiko started taking out ingredients.

"So...What's so important that you needed my advice?" She asked.

"Um...w-well..." Himawari found it a bit hard to ask, but she knew if she didn't she wouldn't get the closure she'd been hoping for. "I-I found an old marriage form a few days ago that had my and Sakurako's names on it. I remembered you told us the story about how we filled it out, but neither of us believed you...Seeing as how we turned out to be in the wrong, I wanted to know...Just...Just how was my relationship with Sakurako when we were little...?"

"So that's what's up..." Nadeshiko set up some vegetables for Himawari to cut while she started taking out utensils and a pot. "To put it simply, you two were pretty inseparable. You clung to Sakurako's arm all the time...Honestly, it was adorable."

Himawari blushed. She used to be the one all over Sakurako? It was hard to swallow given how things were now. Nadeshiko continued. "You were also pretty sensitive. Every time something made you cry, Sakurako'd be the first one to take your hand and try to make you smile. She probably understood you better than our parents and I did..."

"So..." Himawari shakily took hold of a knife for the vegetables while trying to work up the courage to ask. "...is that why we signed that marriage form?"

"You both loved each other very much, but you were just kids. I'm pretty sure neither of you knew there was a difference between romantic love and friendship love, if you get what I mean." Nadeshiko cracked a small smile. Thinking about her younger sister and friend acting so adorably was a fond memory to her.

Hearing her elder talk about her younger days combined with a hard amount of thinking was helping Himawari piece a few things together. She was starting to remember the day that she and Sakurako filled the form in. How she was upset that she didn't get to fill the role of the wife and how Sakurako tried to make things right. How she promised to make Sakurako sweets every day when they were married...The warm feelings flooding over her were almost too much to handle as she supported herself with the kitchen counter, careful to not cut herself by accident.

"It's still strange to me how such a close relationship like the one the two of you had turned into a superiority competition..." Nadeshiko added. "I mean yeah, Sakurako can be quite the dimwit...and you, Himako, have matured quite well for your age..." She took a quick glance at Himawari's chest, feeling a slight tinge of disappointment in herself. The fact that a middle schooler was larger than her was kind of depressing. She quickly cleared her throat. "...but I don't see how that could be enough to change the both of you so much."

Himawari held her chest. She knew everything Nadeshiko was saying was true. Unfortunately for her it also made her dwelling feelings of being replaced or cast aside by Sakurako all the stronger. The conflicting feelings of comforting warmth and straining pain inside was almost too much to bare. She needed Sakurako. She wanted to stay close to her. The last thing she wanted now was to lose that and in her mind...it felt like she was going to soon.

"Himako, could you pass me some-...What's the matter?" Nadeshiko noticed Himawari's pained expression and quickly moved to her side. It looked like she was about to burst in a way. "You're shaking...C'mon, let's get you to the couch so you can calm down..."

The two slowly made their way from the kitchen to the living room as Nadeshiko carefully set Himawari down to her seat. Her body looked tensed up as she squeezed her hands together tightly. Seeing this only made Nadeshiko more concerned as she tried to think of a way to ease the tension. "There's some juice in the fridge that I'm sure'll help you cool down. We have peach, apple and orange. What type do you want?"

"D-Don't want..."

"Huh? You don't want any?"

"I-I don't want...I don't want Sakurako to leave me...!" Himawari buried her face in her hands as tears began to stain her face. "I want her to keep asking me to help her with her homework! I want her to ask me for cooking lessons so she can learn! I know I should be happy that she's being more independent, but...but I don't want her to not need me anymore!"

Nadeshiko was honestly at a loss for words. She was used to the little Himawari crying, but seeing her bawl now, the polite, mature young lady she is today, was almost too painful. Like watching a strong foundation slowing break apart. She did the only thing she could think of at a time like this; she slowly wrapped her arms around Himawari and pulled her into a tight hug. The blue-haired girl clutched her older sister figure's shoulders as she continued to expel all her worry and sadness.

"It'll be alright, Himako...Just let it all out..." Nadeshiko rubbed her back gently as Himawari continued to cry a little while longer.

* * *

Meanwhile, the kitchen of the Akaza residence currently looked like an explosion of foodstuffs and ingredients had just gone off. Splotches of powders and liquids covered almost every surface. The clanging of pots and pans filled the air along with the frantic instructions of a certain twin-bunned redhead.

"S-SAKURAKO-CHAN DON'T JUST DUMP EVERYTHING INTO THE OIL LIKE THAT! THAT'S DANGEROUS!"

"Eh? But it'll be faster if we just put 'em all in at once, right?"

"It'll cause a fire if you do that! Nnngh..." Akari rubbed her forehead. She didn't expect teaching her friend to be so difficult, but then again she never really experienced Sakurako's cooking skills first hand; Said skills being little to none. She had been trying to teach her friend how to make the same lunch she brought to school earlier, even using some of her money to buy extra ingredients on the way home. Sadly it seemed that most of it had gone to waste in the form of either under-cooked fried chicken, burnt sausages or soggy rice. The latter being the most confusing to Akari seeing as they were using a rice cooker which wasn't exactly hard to use.

"Okay okay fine. I'll put 'em in one at a time..." Sakurako picked up a piece of floured chicken and dropped it into the pot of oil with a small splash, causing Akari to once again become frantic. "I-I told you before not to put them in like that! If you splash around hot oil you might burn your-OW!" A droplet of oil bounced out of the pot and onto Akari's arm, the sudden sting causing her to jump away in surprise. "...Because that might happen!"

"Eheheheh...My bad." Sakurako stuck her tongue out playfully. To be honest she never really expected cooking to be so much work. It always looked so easy on tv and in restaurants. Akari wiped her arm off and sighed in partial defeat. "Are you sure you want to keep doing this? We've been at it for almost two hours and haven't even made something edible yet..."

"Eeeh?!" Sakurako actually looked disappointed. Usually giving up on something hard and letting someone else do it was the first thing she'd suggest.

"I-It's not like we can't do it again. Why don't we try again this weekend? Won't that be better?"

"NO! I can't give Himawari a homemade lunch if we aren't at school the next day, y'know!" Sakurako huffed, not really aware that she just blurted out her reason for wanting cooking lessons.

"Eh?" Akari quickly caught it. "Himawari-chan?...Oooh, so this is all so you can give her a lunch that you've made?"

"H-Huh?! O-Of course not! No way! N-Never...uh...Shoot, I was hopin' not to tell anyone..."

Akari pondered for a minute. "Why'd you want to keep something like that a secret? OH, is it because you're still rivals? You probably wanted to surprise her by showing you could cook just as good as her, right?"

"What? No no, it's not that it's just...I just wanted to do something for her. Since she's always been supporting me and trying to keep me on a straight path and stuff..." Sakurako scratched her cheek. Saying something like this felt so out-of-character for her. "I mean she helps me with my homework and cooks me really tasty stuff and all that...And even though she can be a super-mega-ultra-boobified pain in the butt, she still spends time with me. So I just wanna repay her with a bit of a break."

"Sakurako-chan..." Akari was pretty surprised. She knew Sakurako had a good heart underneath her childish and sometimes bratty personality, but this was one of the few times where it was plain-as-day to see.

"This past weekend I made sure to study really hard and do my homework without her help as a start and it worked out great! Now I wanna give her a homemade lunch. So I hope ya don't mind if we keep trying?"

Akari smiled. Seeing her friend so determined to please made her feel more energetic herself. "If that's the case, then sure. You'll get it right this time, Akari knows you will!"

Sakurako grinned. "Yeah! And I'll only burn the sausages slightly this time, too!"

"...T-That's one way to think positively...!" A bead of sweat popped up on Akari's forehead. Even if her friend's intentions were very sweet, it didn't mean teaching her was suddenly going to become easier... 


	4. Chapter 4

"Hmmmph...We cooked for hours and I still don't have anything worth showin'!" Sakurako huffed as she entered her house later that night. She had been at Akari's all evening trying to learn to cook and while her basic skills did improve slightly, it still wasn't enough to keep her from making an overall inedible final product. "Still, it was hilarious when that octopus sausage ended up in Akari-chan's bun. The way she flipped out was just too funny!"

The faint smell of curry suddenly wafted into Sakurako's nose as a small trail of drool almost instantly made its way down to her chin. "Nee-chan, you made curry?! I want some! Didja save some for me?" She looked around for Nadeshiko eagerly before her older sister finally entered, a somewhat stern look on her face.

"Welcome home. Your share's on the kitchen table."

"YAY!" Sakurako darted into the kitchen as her sister followed behind her. Nadeshiko sat down across from Sakurako and watched as she quickly started uncovering and shoveling away her dinner. After a few moments she decided to strike up a certain conversation she was hoping to have.

"Say, Sakurako. Has Himako been acting weird to you at all lately?"

"Mmph?" Sakurako swallowed her mouthful of curry. "Well now that you mention it she has been actin' super weird. Like...super-DUPER weird."

"Mind explaining it to me? Like how weird do you mean?"

"Um...Hmmm..." She thought for a moment. "Well she's been spacin' out a lot more. Plus she turns red a lot and gets really defensive. Moreso than usual!"

Nadeshiko nodded. "So this really has been troubling her for a while..." She propped her head up with her hand as she leaned on the table. "Do you have any idea why she might be acting strange?"

Sakurako shrugged and shook her head. "Nope. I figured she'd want to deal with whatever's on her mind herself, so I'm not gonna bother her."

"Uh, actually I'd say it'd be best you go to her place after school tomorrow. She might not show it, but maybe she could use a friend around for reassurance."

"Eeeh? But I told Akari-chan I'd go to her house tomorrow! I've got...i-important things...to do!"

"Sakurako..." Nadeshiko shot her younger sister a quick yet stern glare. "You're making some time to go hang out with Himako tomorrow. Right?" She wanted to mention that it was her fault that Himawari was feeling so anxious and stressed in the first place, but decided against it.

"...A-Ahaha...I-I'll go to her place right after I see Akari-chan..." Sakurako shivered in fear. Along with Himawari, Nadeshiko was another person she'd actively tried to avoid getting annoyed. The reprocussions were never enjoyable. Nadeshiko nodded in approval. "Good. You're her best friend. It's your responsibility to help her out when she needs it just like she does for you, got it?"

"Yeah yeah, I know..." While she was busy pouting, a quick thought suddenly popped into Sakurako's head. "Wait, if I go see Himawari tomorrow I can bring her some food that I made at Akari-chan's! That actually works out!" She happily went back to shoveling away her dinner as Nadeshiko stood up to exit the kitchen, feeling satisfied that she was able to at least do something about the current situation. She gave her younger sister a brief pat on the head before going back to her room.

"And don't screw it up, alright?"

* * *

The following day went by perfectly fine for Sakurako. She did her school work, chatted with her friends, all of her usual day-to-day activities. The only difference was that now she was really noticing just how weird Himawari was acting. Her friend didn't talk much or do much that whole school day, most of the time looking spaced out and staring out the window with a longing look on her face. It was worrying, but Sakurako figured she'd get to the bottom of it when she dropped by later. For now she had cooking lessons to deal with.

In Himawari's case, the entire day had felt agonizingly long. She was filled with a constant feeling of dread and worry. So much so that it prevented her from acting like she normally did. Seeing Sakurako acting like nothing was wrong and then run off to join Akari's side as the two of them went to her house...It squeezed down on her heart like a vice grip of annoyance and anxiousness. When she finally arrived home she felt extremely drained both physically and emotionally, wanting nothing more than to flop into her bed and rest. Not even Kaede coming to greet her was enough to lift her spirits.

"Welcome back, Onee-...chan? A-Are you alright? You look sick..."

"I'm sorry, Kaede. I'm just...tired. I'm going to rest my eyes for a bit, okay?" Himawari quickly patted her sister's head before going straight to her room. Placing her bag on her table, she climbed into her bunk and placed her head on her pillow. The soft fabric was more than enough to ease her eyes shut as she fell asleep practically on the spot. And as she slept, Himawari dreamt. She dreamt about walking to class like usual, only the world around her was different. The halls felt longer and darker, homeroom seemed emptier, almost dead. In the corner of the room, she spotted Sakurako, Akari and Chinatsu all huddled together and conversing.

"Good morning, everyone. Um...Is it just me, or does everything seem somewhat bleaker? I don't know..."

Akari and Chinatsu wordlessly turned to Himawari, their stares ice cold and borderline lifeless. Himawari felt a sharp chill shoot up her back. She had never seen them look this way before. Sakurako turned her attention last. She glared at her friend harshly.

"Uh, Furutani? What do you think you're doing?"

"Furu-...Since when did you start calling me by my last name?"

"Since when did YOU think it was okay to hang out with us again?"

"Eh?! W-What are you even talking about?" Himawari was confused. Why was Sakurako acting this way? Did they have an argument recently? Sakurako grimaced.

"I thought you were supposed to be smart. I don't need you around anymore, remember? Akari-chan teaches me how to cook, Chinatsu-chan helps me study and neither of them act all huffy and snooty like you do...You big-breasted jerk."

Himawari felt like her heart just shattered into pieces. Being casted out of her group of friends, being cast aside by Sakurako herself...It was her worst fear come to fruition. "N-No...You can't...You can't do that...S-Sakurako, please..."

"Just shut up and leave us alone...Tch, I can't believe I was actually friends with you in the first place..."

"Sakurako..." Tears began streaming Himawari's cheeks.

"Oh, I will thank ya for one thing though; Helping me find better friends to spend my time with."

"Sakurako...S-Sakurako! No!" As Himawari jolted awake in a panic, she heard a familiar "WAH!" followed by a thud. She looked over to see Sakurako on the floor, rubbing her tailbone. When she looked around, she found herself in her room again. She quickly felt her cheeks, noticing how wet and warm they felt. Sakurako didn't notice, slowly getting back to her feet.

"J-Jeez, first you're a heavy sleeper and next you're wide awake! What's up with that?" Looking at Himawari, she noticed that her friend didn't look happy. At all. In fact, it looked like she was glaring at her.

"What do you want..."

"Huh?" Sakurako cocked her head to the side before playing along. "Oh, right. I brought food from Akari-chan's!" She excited started digging into her bag. "She's been an awesome teacher! I was able to make something totally delicious!...I think."

Himawari's look grew more annoyed. "...No..."

"Eh? No what?" Sakurako replied as she took a small sack out.

"NO! I don't want anything you've made! Keep it!"

"...W-Wait, huh?" Now Sakurako was weirded out. Why exactly was Himawari acting so mad? It's not like she did anything to her other than watch her sleep for a bit.

"If you're so proud about what you made with Akaza-san then go enjoy it by yourself! You obviously don't need me around to do that, right?!" While on the outside Himawari was acting absolutely furious, inside she was desperately trying to get herself to stop. Sakurako hadn't done anything wrong and she had to stop this...but as hard as she tried she just couldn't calm herself down. "Why even ask me to come over to help you study if you did everything yourself?! So I could deliver food to you like some princess? I feed you just as much as I feed Kaede but do you come to ME for cooking lessons? Of course you don't! But why should I even care, huh? It's not like you could make anything edible anyway! You can't do anything right! That's why you need someone like me around to keep you from screwing up! And now you think you just don't need me around anymore?! If that's how you want it then fine, cause you'll just end up messing everything up again sooner than later! Because you're lazy, you're childish and you're a pain in the neck to EVERYONE!"

"..." Sakurako stood in shock. Her eyes were wide and her expression was utterly blank. It was as if everything Himawari said was taking a second to register with her. Himawari noticed this too, finally taking a breath and calming down enough to realize what she just did. "...S-Sakurako, I...I-I didn't mean to-"

"No, you know what? Fine." Sakurako started tearing up as she picked her bag up and slung it over her shoulder. "If that's how you really feel, then I don't know why I even bothered trying to be nice in the first place..." She trudged over to the door as Himawari reached out, trying really hard to tell her to stop so she could apologize for everything. Try as she might, however, nothing came out.

"I thought we were friends but ya know what, Himawari? You're just a...You're just a big-breasted JERK!" With that, Sakurako tossed the sack she had in her hand to the ground. The contents inside burst open within the sack before coming to a rest in a little pile on the floor. As Sakurako disappeared from her sight, the sound of the front door opening and slamming shut, Himawari sat there. She blew it. Everything. She vented all her heartache and anxiety in the worst way possible and now she just may have destroyed her relationship with Sakurako permanently; her worst fear finally becoming reality. Her outstretched arm dropped back down to her side as she felt all her senses fade.

Meanwhile across the street Sakurako entered her house. Hanako and Nadeshiko were in the living room as she silently passed them by on the way to her room.

"Oh hey, how's Himawari-oneechan doing?" Hanako asked. "Nee-san said you went to go cheer her up."

Sakurako didn't bother stopping or looking at either of her sisters. "Just leave me alone."

Hanako watched Sakurako leave before consulting her eldest sister. "What was that about?"

"Nothing good, I'm sure..." Nadeshiko sighed, the small tinge of worry inside her steadily growing.


	5. Chapter 5

"Chitose, how are those career surveys coming along?"

The student council's room was bustling with activity as the group was busy sorting and prepping papers and documents for the various classes to utilize for the week. The student council president, Matsumoto Rise, swiftly and efficiently stamped through any papers she was handed. Sugiura Ayano, the vice president, was providing her superior with said papers while also organizing forms based on class. She looked over to her fellow council member, Ikeda Chitose, with a worried expression. She hoped that she hadn't accidentally overloaded her more-than-friend with work. Chitose simply looked up and smiled. "Everything's sorted like you asked, Ayano-chan. I only have one last stack to go."

Ayano gave a relieved sigh. "Okay, great. Oomuro-san, how about you?"

"..." Sakurako slowly and silently placed sheet after sheet into their respective piles. Her actions were almost robotic in nature.

"U-Um...Alright." Ayano was put off by her junior's strange behavior. "Uh...Furutani-san! Do you need any-"

"..." Himawari was acting the exact same as Sakurako was. The sight of the two acting so dead caused Ayano to practically stumble in place. It made everything feel off not hearing them argue or compete to see who the better council member was. "Uh...Are you two alright? Personally I'm Persia-proud that you're both putting so much focus into your jobs, but the silence is really off-putting..."

Neither of the girls bothered answering. A couple more quiet moments passed before Sakurako finished her task. She moved her stacks of forms to the center of the main table where the others were and grabbed her bag. "I'm goin' home."

"Huh? O-Oh uh, good work-" Before Ayano could finish, Sakurako had already exited the room. "...-today...I wonder what's wrong?"

Chitose held her cheek. She was starting to grow worried herself. "My my. Furutani-san, do you know why Oomuro-san's acting so distant?"

"Eh? I-I, uh..." Himawari started to shake, quickly placing her work down and also grabbing her bag. "I-I'm sorry, but I'm not feeling too well. I apologize, but I'll be leaving early..." After a quick bow, she too exited the room. Ayano and Chitose were pretty dumbfounded. Things were definitely feeling off lately.

"Perhaps they had a falling out?" Ayano pondered with a scratch of her head.

"I'm not too sure myself...It doesn't feel like the Student Council when they aren't acting like their normally lively selves..." Chitose adjusted her glasses.

"Hm...President, what do you think?" Ayano asked as she turned to Rise for her opinion on the matter. The raven-haired girl pondered for a moment. Finally she answered in as well a thought-out way as she could muster.

"..."

"...Why do I even bother..." Ayano slapped her forehead. She had forgotten that when it came to conversations, having one with Rise was next to impossible thanks to her extremely low, almost non-existent voice. Heck, the only person she knew that could fully understand her was-

"Heh, you give up too easily. She said that from the looks of it, their bridge is getting close to burning down."

Ayano and Chitose turned to the doorway to find their science teacher, Nishigaki Nana, leaning against the frame with her arms crossed. Her lab coat and clothing were covered in soot and ashes, no doubt the result of another explosive experiment of hers. Judging by the smirk on her face, it obviously didn't faze her much. Ayano wisely decided not to question just what her sensei had been up to prior to joining them, instead questioning what the president meant. "Burning down? So they did have a falling out?"

"Seems that way to me. Saw 'em both heading down the hall in opposite directions while I was on my way over. How out-of-character is that, right?" Nishigaki-sensei made her way over to one of the near-by chairs and took a seat.

"..."

"Mmn, it could very well be. They argue all the time, so it had to be something big if they're acting this way."

"..."

"Ha! Matsumoto, you fantasizer you."

"AHEM..." Ayano cleared her throat. "Sensei, do you mind?"

"OH! Of course." Nishigaki-sensei bowed her head before relaying the conversation. "Basically they must be dealing with something personal. And whatever it is, it must of hit its climax recently."

Chitose nodded. "That would make sense with how they've been acting..."

"Matsumoto here called it a type of lover's spat." Nishigaki added as she walked over to the student council president and began patting her head. "You sassy little thing."

As Matsumoto blushed a bit at her teacher's skinship, Ayano decided to just flat-out ignore the two and continue with Chitose instead. "If that's the case then maybe we should confront them about it. We're their seniors, after all."

Her friend agreed with a smile. "Mmn. So who should we go see first? Oomuro-san? Furutani-san? I believe they live close to each other so both perhaps?"

"I'd hate to rain on your girls' parade, but I think it'd be best if we watch over them from the sidelines for now." Their sensei interjected. "The last thing either of them probably want is to get others involved in their problems, so the right thing to do for now is to keep an eye on 'em both. If they need to talk to someone about stuff, then make sure to be there for them."

Ayano was surprised by such a suggestion. "Eh? But Sensei-"

"..."

Nishigaki nodded. "Matsumoto's right. If this is a personal matter, it's for the best that we let them try to sort things out themselves..." As the teacher let out a sigh and turned to gaze out the window and Rise went back to stamping papers, Chitose and Ayano looked at each other in concern. It didn't sit right with them that they had to let this kind of situation go, especially since it involved fellow student council members. The best they could do for now was to follow their sensei's advice, keep their ears and eyes open and just hope that things would smooth over soon.

* * *

Himawari sat at her desk. The lights were off, only the orange rays of the setting sun glowing through her window. In her hand was the marriage form, which she stared at with an empty expression. This piece of paper had caused so much heartache and pain in the past few days. The more she looked at it, the more it hurt inside.

"It's all your fault...If I hadn't found you...I-If I hadn't found you, I wouldn't have-...!" She angrily crumpled up the form and tossed it at the wall, slumping over as her tears began to drop to her feet.

"I wouldn't have said what I said to her...How am I even supposed to apologize after that?...This isn't like when we'd argue before..." She held her head. "This isn't fair..."

"Onee-chan..."

"...K-Kaede?" Himawari looked up to see her little sister watching her from the doorway. She quickly wipes her eyes as best she could, rushing over to her sister while trying to regain her composure. "I-I'm sorry, you're probably hungry, right? It's my turn to cook dinner tonight, after all. I'll make you something yummy, okay?"

The little Furutani looked up at her sister with worry as she tried to hide her depression, noting the redness in Himawari's eyes from crying. Kaede was a very innocent child. One thing she really didn't like seeing was her sister feeling so sad.

"Onee-chan, are you sad because of Sakurako-oneechan?"

"...Huh?" Himawari wasn't expecting Kaede to question what was going on, let alone hit the nail on the head. Then again her little sister was a smart girl.

"Is Sakurako-oneechan not gonna come over to play anymore? It's because you fought the other day, right...?"

"...N-No...Kaede, we didn't-"

"Kaede knows you and Sakurako-oneechan don't get along sometimes, but..." Kaede fidgeted around a bit, feeling kind of nervous about speaking her mind. "...b-but she doesn't think you should stay mad at her..."

"Kaede..." Hearing her sister sound so concerned about her and Sakurako brought a tear to Himawari's eye as she knelt down and held the girl's cheek. "You've been worrying about us, haven't you?"

Kaede nodded shyly, causing Himawari to smile. "Even my little sister...I've been causing everyone so much trouble acting the way I have. I've got to start trying to set things straight..." She pulled her sister into a gentle hug. "I'm not mad at Sakurako. I'm just...acting confused."

Kaede tilted her head. "Confused?...About what?"

"Confused about how to talk to her about something...Can you keep a secret?"

After receiving a quick nod for confirmation, Himawari leaned close to Kaede's ear and whispered. "I actually really, really, reeeeally like Sakurako. I just don't know how to tell her..."

The girl covered her mouth in surprise, a reaction that caused Himawari to giggle. It felt as if her chest was getting a bit lighter and her mind a bit clearer. Not enough to make her feel completely better, but still enough to help her think a bit straighter. She knew that if she didn't confront Sakurako, nothing would be fixed. She was afraid about it after what she did during her last visit, but it was the only way now.

"Tomorrow's Saturday. I can take you over to play with Hanako-chan if you'd like."

"Really? Will that be okay?" Kaede lit up.

"I'll call Sakurako's house to see if it's alright. Maybe we can bring some lunch over, too. How does that sound?"

"Fun! Now Kaede's really excited!" Kaede bounced happily, looking forward to playing with Hanako again. She was actually a bit worried that she wouldn't able to anymore after hearing Himawari yelling at Sakurako before.

Himawari smiled, standing back up and patting her head. "Then look forward to it, okay? For now why don't you go clean up while I get dinner started."

As Kaede nodded and ran off to the next room, Himawari took a moment to take hold of her cellphone. She headed into the kitchen once she looked up the number she needed. Leaning against the refrigerator, she dialed the number and waited. "...Ah, hello? Nadeshiko-Oneesan?...Y-Yes, I'm feeling okay for now...Yes, I know...Actually, about that...W-Would it be okay if Kaede and I came by tomorrow?"


	6. Chapter 6

Himawari stood in front of the bathroom mirror, giving herself a stern look. She was dressed casually, her and Kaede ready to go spend some time at the Oomuro residence. She even made sure to prepare some lunch to treat her close neighbors with. She saw it as a way to thank them for dealing with her for the past few days. Now before the two sisters set off across the street she decided to give herself one more pep-talk.

"Okay...You've cried and moped enough. You just have to gather up the courage to confront her and confirm...things...You don't want to worry Kaede or Hanako-chan or Nadeshiko-Oneesan any more than you've already have, do you?"

"Oneechan, is it time to go yet?" Himawari jumped at the sound of Kaede's voice calling out from the hallway.

"A-Almost! I'll be out in one moment!" She nervously replied. Talking to herself in the mirror was helping her keep her cool...but it would still be embarrassing to be caught doing it. She gave herself one more look over before placing her hand on her chest, closing her eyes and taking a deep, cleansing breath.

"Well then...It's now or never..."

Moments later the Furutani sisters found themselves on the Oomuro family's doorstep. Nadeshiko opened up and let them inside not long after. "Come on in, you two."

"Thank you, Onee-san. Kaede, go on and play." Himawari gave her sister a small push as she watched her happily remove her shoes and rush inside to meet with Hanako, the sound of the youngest Oomuro crying out in surprise followed by a thud coming from the living room. Now that she and Nadeshiko were alone, she took the chance to address the problem at hand. "So...how has she been doing?"

Nadeshiko sighed. "She's been quiet and keeping to herself...For normal people, that'd be nothing out of the ordinary. But since this is Sakurako we're talking about..."

"Mmn...I apologize. This is all my fault..." Himawari hung her head guiltily. "I was hoping I could try to smooth things over with her. I'm assuming she's still in her room?"

"She is." Nadeshiko confirmed. "You might have a tough time, though. She hasn't been opening up much to anyone. Keeping her door locked more often, too. Hopefully that won't be the case today."

"I'll give it my best." Himawari held up a small basket. "Before I forget, Kaede and I made some sandwiches. As a thank you for...you know...putting up with me lately..."

Nadeshiko cracked a small smile, graciously taking the basket. "Thanks, Himako. I'll make sure to set some aside for the two of you if things run long."

With a bow, Himawari headed further inside the house until she reached Sakurako's door. There wasn't any light coming from the crack underneath, meaning she was either sleeping or she'd been acting this way since their little incident. She pressed her ear to the door in an attempt to pick up any sound, but heard nothing. The thought of someone like Sakurako sitting in silence didn't sit well with her. She knocked on her door.

"Sakurako?...It's me...Are you awake?"

No one answered. She knocked again; Still no answer. Taking a deep breath, Himawari decided to take the more direct approach. She quietly opened the door, expecting Sakurako to immediately try and chase her out or to quickly close the door before she could open it any further. Neither happened. Instead she walked in on a sleeping Sakurako, the girl huddled up under her covers and snoozing quietly. Himawari sighed slightly as she closed the door behind her, making her way to Sakurako's bedside and sitting down beside her. She watched her friend sleep soundly, her face looking probably the calmest it's been in the past couple of days.

"Chances are she forgot to lock her door before taking a nap. She can be so dense..." Himawari smiled softly as she reached over to lightly brush one of Sakurako's bangs away from her eyes. "I've never seen her look so at ease before..." She laid her head down on the side of the bed and continued to stare at her friend. "You're cuter than your personality makes you look, you know..."

Sakurako didn't say anything, still fast asleep. Himawari didn't mind it, though. "I know I act like you're a pain to have around...I know I act like I dislike almost everything about you, but...I truly don't..." She spoke softly. "You can be selfish, but you still care...You can be clueless, but it's not on purpose...I could never imagine you acting as polite or courteous as I tend to. And I guess I could never imagine acting the way you do, either...Eheh...That's probably why we make such a good pair..."

Himawari closed her eyes, not noticing Sakurako's body shifting slightly. "So good that I was scared to death that you were going to...I-I don't know...outgrow me, I guess..." She gripped her wrist. "You were doing your homework correctly, you were asking Akaza-san for cooking help instead of clinging to me all the time...I guess I was just jealous...I didn't want you to leave me..."

"So that's why you yelled at me...?" Himawari jolted upright, looking over to Sakurako and finding that she was now awake. The blonde was still snuggled up in her sheets, but her eyes were open. Himawari blushed. "So you heard all of that, I take it..."

"I've been listenin' since I heard you open my door..." Sakurako closed her eyes again. "I knew I forgot to lock something..."

"I-I'm sorry for coming in uninvited, but I just...I needed to see you...I needed to apologize..."

"Mmhmm." After a moment, Sakurako sat up with both her arms and legs crossed. She looked down at Himawari with a slightly annoyed look. "Apologize for...?"

"For everything..." Himawari drooped. "For acting so off lately. For worrying your sisters. For...blowing up at you when you were just being nice..."

"I wasn't replacing you, y'know...I was just trying to give you a break..."

"...Huh?" Himawari looked back up, noticing Sakurako was averting her eyes. "You mean you were-...So it was all for-"

"YES! OKAY! YOU GOT IT! I WAS DOIN' IT FOR YOU! JEEZ!" The blonde pouted loudly. "You cook for me all the time cause I dunno how and you teach me all the stuff I don't know cause homework is so boring, so I figured I'd just suck it up and y'know...try to give ya less to worry about..."

"..." Himawari held her forehead and sighed. This whole time she'd been taking Sakurako's attempts at giving her some time to herself as a sign of being unwanted. Jumping to conclusions and acting as selfish as she did...She knew it wasn't like her to do such a thing, she was smarter than that. It just seemed that her emotions clouded her thoughts. She looked over to her bag, reaching in and pulling out a tattered-looking piece of paper before holding it up to Sakurako. "Here..."

"Eh?" Sakurako took it in confusion before giving it a look over. The dim lighting in her room caused her to squint a bit, but she could still make out what was on it. "...Wait a sec...This is a-...ONEE-CHAN WAS TELLIN' THE TRUTH?!" It was the marriage form that Himawari had been keeping. It was looking a bit worse for wear after she had crumpled it up before.

"Yes. I found it a few weeks ago. Obviously I didn't believe it myself, but...once I looked at it...I-I don't know, it's like everything came flooding back to me..." Himwari spoke softly as Sakurako continued staring at it. The longer she did, the more things were starting to click with her as well. Soon she was the one sighing over everything. "We used to be really close, huh..."

Himawari nodded, blushing lightly. "It's hard to believe with the way things have been lately, right?"

"More like almost impossible." Sakurako added bluntly. "...What, do you want us to go back to the way things were when we were kids now?"

Himawari took that question to heart. Her feelings for Sakurako had been becoming more and more obvious to herself, but at the same time their personalities had changed so much. Trying to go back to the way things were between them would feel more like an act than genuine. After giving it some thought, she gave her answer. "No. Our past selves are just that; The past. But...I do have one proposal..."

Sakurako perked up. "M'kay. Shoot."

"We stay ourselves...but I stay by your side." Himawari offered. "I'll teach you the basics of everything I know, I'll praise you when you do well and scold you when you slack off and I'll cook delicious food for you, too. Just like I always have...Just...promise you'll never leave me?"

Sakurako didn't answer immediately, taking a moment to formulate an answer herself. To be quite honest, Himawari could tell she was just milking the suspense to make things dramatic. Finally, with a wide grin, she responded. "The great Sakurako-sama acknowledges your request provided that you agree to a term of her own!"

"...E-Eh?...W-What kind of term?" Himawari was prepared for something utterly ludicrous or degrading, as someone per Sakurako would usually think up. Surprisingly though, her blonde friend's grin relaxed down to a warm smile. "My term is that you try not to push yourself to do everything and to take a break once in a while. Even you can't watch over me twenty four-seven, right? I know I ain't exactly a super-genius or a ultra-level chef and stuff, but...I can still take care of myself if I gotta. So if you can agree to that, then I promise that I'll stay by your side as long as you want me to."

Himawari quickly leaned over Sakurako's bed, wrapping her arms around her waist and hugging her tight. "Thank you, Sakurako..." She teared up as her face flushed with happiness, the weight in her chest now completely lifted. "...Thank you so much..."

"J-Jeez, no need to make it all sappy. It's not that big a deal..." Sakurako couldn't help but smile brighter as she leaned down to hug back. Even though she wouldn't admit it easily, she was glad to have Himawari back by her side. "...I mean it's obvious we need each other, after all."

From the crack in Sakurako's door, the curious eyes of Nadeshiko, Hanako and Kaede watched over the pair's heartfelt little moment. Kaede covered her face with a blush while Hanako had a look of surprise on her face, being the most out of the loop out of the three siblings. Nadeshiko smiled to herself before moving away from the door, whispering to the other girls. "Come on, let's leave them alone for a bit. We can have lunch in the meantime."

"Oneechan," Hanako asked as they went to the kitchen. "what was all that about, exactly?"

"That was closure, Hanako." Nadeshiko answered. "Something those two have been needing for a while."

* * *

"Is this it? I think this is it." Ayano stood in front of Himawari's door with Chitose in tow. After some worrying the two had decided to take things into their own hands in the end and just go and check on their two fellow council members themselves. Ayano held her hand up to knock, but immediately started hesitating. "...Mmmnnn but what if this just makes things worse?!"

"Ayano-chan..." Chitose put her hands on her friend's shoulders. "We discussed this! All we're going to do is check in on them and see if everything's okay. And if it's something they don't want to discuss, then we won't pry into it!"

"Yeah...Yeah, you're right! We planned things out perfectly. This'll go as smooth as Siberian satin." Ayano took a deep breath, calming herself before going in to knock. However before her knuckles could even come in contact with the door, it ended up opening all on its own to reveal Himawari. She was dressed casually with a tightly-packed bag slung over her shoulder. Apparently the pair had caught her when she was about to depart somewhere.

"Huh?...Sugiura-senpai and Ikeda-senpai? What brings you here?" The bluenette asked.

"F-F-FURUTANI-SAN! I-I MEAN-!...Good afternoon!" Ayano panicked, causing Chitose to quickly follow her up. "Are you going out, Furutani-san? It seems we may have come by at a bad time."

"Oh! Yes, I'm sorry, I already have a previous engagement. I wish I could stay but I really don't want to miss it. I hope you understand..." Himawari bowed politely. Ayano and Chitose were surprised. Nothing about her gave off the same troubled and depressed aura that they got from her at school. She seemed practically normal now. This made Ayano in particular especially confused. "W-Wait, before you go just one question! Is anything wrong? Everything's okay, right?" She asked as Himawari locked the door.

"Hmm? Is there anything wrong?" Himawari shook her head almost immediately. "Not that I can think of. Honestly, everything's been fantastic." She smiled before bowing once more. "I'd hate to cut this short, but I really don't want to be late. I'll see you both at school." Turning on her heel, she made her way down the stairs of her apartment complex.

"...That's it?...There's no way it could be that easy!" Ayano peered over the balcony edge to keep an eye on Himawari as she left, Chitose taking the space next to her looking somewhat puzzled. "Aren't we spying at this point? That's not very respectful..."

"Shh! We're not spying, we're just...making sure! That's all!" Ayano peered down at her kouhai as she crossed the street to the next house over. "Wait a minute, that's Oomuro-san's house, right?" Chitose took a peek, watching Himawari knock on the front door. "I believe so, yes...Perhaps they patched things up?"

"Hi-ma-wa-RI!" Sakurako flung open the door with boundless energy, dressed just as casually as her friend. "You're right on time!"

"Well of course. Can you think of any time I've been late to something before?"

"Um...Hmmm..." Sakurako rubbed the sides of her head in concentration. "OH, THAT ONE TIME WHEN-...Wait, no, that was me...Huh. Nope! I got nothin'."

Himawari giggled. "Well it looks like you're ready. Shall we?"

"Sure!" Sakurako shut the door and skipped out onto the street as Himawari followed closely. The two began their journey down the street for a day out together as Sakurako strolled up close to Himawari's side. "So lunch in the park and a movie?"

"Yes, just as I promised." Himawari patted her bag. "I made some chicken croquettes, some rice, mixed salad and a thermos of lemonade for the both of us."

The menu that Himawari recited was enough to make Sakurako drool on the spot. "Y-You made croquettes?! HIMWARI YOU'RE THE BEST!" She immediately clung to the blue-haired girl's arm, causing her to blush slightly. Seeing this was all the proof Chitose needed as she stood upright with a smile and headed towards the stairs.

"A-Are we going to follow them, or...?" Ayano asked, still a bit confused.

"There's no need to anymore, Ayano-chan. Everything's just fine."

"Really? Are you sure?"

"Really-really." Chitose nodded. "You could tell just by looking at them. Everything's going to be fine now."

"...I don't get it, but if you say so..." Ayano shrugged, deciding not to question things further at the risk of just confusing herself even more. The pair made their way out of the apartment complex as Sakurako and Himawari continued their conversation a block away. "Hey, do ya think you can show me how to make 'em, too?"

"I don't know. Croquettes are a bit more difficult to make than curry or ramen..." Himawari scratched her cheek in doubt, which ended up setting Sakurako off. "I can totally make curry! Akari-chan showed me how!"

"I suddenly feel extremely sorry for Akaza-san and everything she had to put up with..."

"What's that supposed to mean, boobies-for-brains?! At least she doesn't have to put up with two ten pound weights dragging her down to the kitchen counter when she cooks..."

"Eh?! W-Why does it always have to come back to my chest size?!"

"Because they're still giant and they still annoy me!" Sakurako and Himawari's bickering continued on as they made their way into town, but not once did Sakurako ever unravel herself from Himawari's arm. From complimenting each other to being at each other's throats in the span of seconds, things between the duo seemed to be back to the way things have always been. However, Himawari and Sakurako took comfort in the fact that they both acknowledged how much they care about one another, despite how things may come off.

"Hmph. Apparently no matter how things change, some things will just stay the same." Himawari huffed with a pout, causing Sakurako to do the same in response. "Apparently so!...What, you've got a problem with that...?"

"...No...I'm glad..." Himawari's pout slowly vanished into a shy smile. "It means you're still the Sakurako I care deeply about...They do say arguments are just another form of love, right?"

"D-Do they?" Sakurako turned away with a blush, a small smile also forming. "...I guess that makes sense..." Her grip on Himawari's arm tightened a little more. From their childhood to now, the two had stayed together through just about everything...and they were both going to make sure their bond held strongly into the future.


End file.
